Another week done, under our belt completed, so that means it’s time for another Cheers to the Weekend post for our enjoyment. You don’t have any idea that your life is missing a Breakfast Grilled Cheese until someone like me comes around and tells you, “HEY! Stop what you’re doing right this second and make yourself a grilled cheese this weekend!” But this isn’t just any grilled cheese though, this is a grilled cheese you make Saturday morning, after you’ve had one too many drinks Friday night. We’ve all been there, it’s okay. The good news is that this grilled cheese is made up of bread, melted cheese, eggs, and crispy bacon and crumbled sausage, or as I like to call them, breakfast’s vegetables. The perfect sandwich to forget about those drinks from the night before. The great thing about this recipe is that it’s more of a blueprint for you, and once you get the hang of it, it can be customized multiple ways! As long as you have bread, cheese and eggs as the base, the toppings and add-ins are endless.

Fridays mean no more work (hopefully for most of you) and it means brunch on the weekends and drinks in the evening to celebrate. Fridays also mean it’s time for another installment of my favorite segment on the blog, Cheers to the Weekend! This week, I’m tackling another sandwich recipe because they’re delicious and because they happen to be my go-to easy lunch or dinner option; making them the perfect meal to make over the weekend. These are filled with grilled buffalo chicken, ranch, and a crazy good celery slaw that balances everything out perfectly. Also what can be better than marinating chicken in BUTTER and hot sauce and then grilling it for that optimal flavor?! Nothing! We already know that butter makes everything better when it comes to baking, but it’s also better for savory sandwiches. This month’s Go Bold With Butter collaboration proves it!

These Grilled Buffalo Chicken Sandwiches are the best way to say goodbye to summer, with one final use of the grill, and welcome autumn with open arms. Sure it’s officially fall, but that doesn’t mean we can’t hold on to summer grilling season for just a tiny bit longer. So crank up that outdoor grill once more, or heat up a stovetop grill pan and make the perfect farewell to summer meal that everyone will go crazy for. If you’re like me and like to hoard boneless skinless chicken breasts in the freezer all the time, but don’t exactly know how to use them all up, these sandwiches (or sammiches as I used to say as a kid) are a great way to use up that freezer chicken. Make them soon and remember that it’s always time to Cheers to the Weekend!

I had this crazy half-baked idea not too long ago about a new segment on the blog called “Cheers to the Weekend!” It’s essentially a weekly themed segment on the blog, coming out every Friday, that in a nutshell would be “indulgently satisfying recipes to make on Friday, Saturday and Sunday.” This came from the idea that many of us don’t have time to cook fancy elaborate meals during the week. We’re all busy with a million different things being thrown at us from all directions Monday through Friday. Believe me, I understand. It’s the same for me, and because of this, I’m always searching for quick and easy recipes to make during the week. I’ve come to realize that I’m not the only one. I mean, we all have lives and things come up. Most 0f the comments I get throughout the week on my posts are, “I can’t wait until the weekend so I can give this a try!” So it dawned on me that most of us do our heavy cooking on the weekend, when we have more time to invest to cooking and baking. So why not start a new segment on the blog each week that focuses on just that? It seems like the only logical thing to do here. It seems like the perfect time.

I’ve been working on this here blog for about 5 years now, and I feel like I’m at a point where I need to provide a steady constant to you all. I think it’s nice, and somewhat important, when there is something you can look forward to week after week. A segment that you know will be there each week on a specific day, rain or shine. That’s where “Cheers to the Weekend!” comes in. I’ve decided to see this crazy scheme all the way through. Mainly because I’m really passionate about it, but also because not only will you enjoy it, but I feel like it would be super helpful for you. This new segment will feature cocktails to make on the weekend (because we all need to relax with a drink every once in a while after a long work week), appetizers for dinner parties, over the top desserts to treat yoself on a Friday night, breakfasts (when you’ve had too much to drink), recipes for entertaining, light and easy lunches on the go, and of course, family Sunday dinners before the craziness of the new week begins. It’s a nice range of what we’re all looking for at the end of the week. With that being said, these Pork Schnitzel Sandwiches are a good place to start.

The great thing about this week is that it’s a short week. Am I right or am I right? Let’s rejoice in knowing that we’re two days down and only three left to get through until the weekend. I don’t know about you, but I’m already making plans for how I won’t be working, doing chores, or even running errands. What kind of weekend is that? I don’t know what it is, but there’s something about three day weekends that make me feel even lazier than normal. I feel like I need some time off to recuperate from my time off, do you know what I mean? Also another thing, when it comes to being home not working, I for some reason become hungrier than normal. That’s saying something because I’m always hungry. What is it about being home doing nothing that makes me want to eat everything in sight? Someone tell me the answer, I NEED to know.

Sometimes I’m so hungry that I can’t decide if I want pizza or a sandwich. Before you laugh though, this is a very important decision any grown adult has to make at least once in their life. Both are equally as delicious, and both are always a yes in my book. So as you can imagine, it’s something that keeps me up at night. How can anyone be expected to pick one between the two? That seems almost unfair and downright evil, if you ask me. Lucky for us all though, we don’t have to make such an awful choice anymore because I’ve gone ahead and merged the two worlds together. You didn’t ask me to, and I didn’t even know I was going to do it, but somehow I don’t think any of us will be mad about it. I know I’m not complaining. Homemade pizza dough, filled with cheese, pepperoni, salami, ham, and arugula. You combine all of those ingredients and components together and you get Pizza Sandwiches. Just about the greatest thing to ever cross my path…at the moment. If you need me, I’ll be at home making all the different pizza sandwich variations out there. Lucky for me, the possibilities are endless. And lucky for you, I have one ultimate variation right here below in this post. I guess what know what you’ll be cooking up this week.

I visit my friend Joy in New Orleans, about once a month or so (not enough if you ask me), to chat and drink and eat and most importantly get some work done because we’re adults and that’s what adults do. Whenever I’m there, we always try to offset all of the work we have to get done by splurging a little on Friday. Which basically just means to eat all of the food and drink cocktails all day long. It’s a nice balance that we’ve perfected over the years. We do this by visiting the same restaurant, The Camellia Grill, in Uptown/Garden District. It’s a great place that has been there for forever, and the guys working are some of the nicest people you’ll ever meet. Seriously. There are no tables, just a long bar down the middle, which is first come first serve. The last time I was there, Joy ordered herself a BLT with a fried egg, and because she’s the coolest cat on the planet, I too decided to order a BLT with a fried egg. We ate it with a side of hash browns, orange juice, grapefruit juice and coffee, because we’re splurging.

Although, it was one of the easiest things you could ever possibly order from any restaurant, for some reason it was the best thing I ever ate while in New Orleans. This probably has more to do with the company and the vibe of being in a local hangout spot, coupled with the fact that as we were sitting there eating our Breakfast BLTs at 10am, out of nowhere, a woman got up from her seat and sang “Summertime” to the entire restaurant. It was pure magic I tell ya. A memory that is not easily forgotten. Now whenever I eat a BLT, I instantly go back to that very moment. It’s funny how that happens, isn’t? I love that food has the power to do that.

I thought I’d share this super easy recipe with you all so that you too can have a euphoric moment involving bacon, lettuce, tomato and bread. Sometimes I find that I can easily get lost in complex recipes and flavors with long posts and what not. So I think it’s important for me to step back every now and then, and throw in a simple uncomplicated stress free recipe for us to try. Plus did I mention there’s bacon involved? Yes, bacon.

I will always reserve a special place in my heart for these Chicken Parmesan Sandwiches. Partly because breaded and fried chicken thighs are involved, I’ve learned never to question fried chicken, but also because it was the first thing Julian ever cooked for me, on our third date. This was the only dish he knew how to cook at the time, which I believe he actually called his mom right before and asked her how to make it. You gotta give the man points for trying. And even though it looked like a tornado hit the kitchen, and I was fairly certain the night would end with us at the emergency room waiting for Julian to get stitches (thankfully it didn’t), it’s still one of my all time favorite sandwiches I’ve ever eaten. No joke. And that’s saying something because I love me a good sandwich every now and then, and as we all know there are so many options to choose from, so it’s kind of hard to pick a favorite. But how can you pass up breaded chicken topped with marinara and cheese and then sandwiched together between two pieces of crusty garlic-rubbed bread?! You can’t, you just can’t, and even if you did, I’d have serious doubts about our friendship. Then again, I would be able to eat your sandwich…so maybe I should rethink this.

To this day, whenever it’s Julian’s turn to cook dinner, I’ll either get these sandwiches or a grilled steak with brussels sprouts and potatoes. I’m not complaining though because sometimes it’s too much of a hassle for me to fire up the grill, stand in front of hot burning charcoal all night with smoke blowing in my face. Thankfully the man can grill like no one’s business, and actually enjoys doing it. He has since learned how to cook a few more dishes, through the years, like tacos and homemade tortilla chips with guacamole or grilled salmon with rice and roasted asparagus. They’ve been added to the rotation, but honestly even if this sandwich continued to be the only thing he ever cooked for me, I’d be super happy because it’s a masterpiece of a dish. But it’s best not to tell Julian this. We don’t want it getting to his head.

Instead of keeping this recipe all to myself, though, like some selfish animal, I’ve decided I needed to spread the word. I told myself, “Self, everyone needs to try this sandwich. You’d be doing the world a disservice if you didn’t share it.” That happened, but also I figured we could all use a few more quick and easy recipes that can be whipped up in no time. Especially during those week days when we’re all exhausted from work and just want to get home as quickly as possible, make dinner and catch up on those shows we’ve let pile up. Let’s get with the program and make these happen as soon as possible.